How to lose weight... really?

muddpuppy

yes, i play with fire...
Joined
Apr 15, 2005
Posts
3,605
I have heard alot of stories about people losing weight in a matter of months sometimes even weeks. Besides me, im sure there are several beautiful ladies who would like to know, HOW DO YA DO IT??? Every where you look theres people selling pills and patches and food (we have tried them all) the question is what really works??? I have tried to control my appetite, its really hard. I have no energy, no motivation, to get up and excercise...
Does anyone know any pills that really work? Vitamins?
So, if there are any ladies (or gentlemen) out there that have any weight loss stories (even 15 to 20 pounds) please share with us, i would love to hear your stories!


Please forgive me if this thread has been posted before...
 
there's only ONE WAY to lose weight... you have to have a caloric deficit. there's no pill or shake or shot or anything that's really worth a damn.

i like to think of it this way: if you really know what you're eating and what different foods do to you, you can eat appropriately in any situation. if you rely on a shake or whatever, what do you do when there's no shake around? and do you really want to buy shakes and pills and whatnot for the rest of your life?

i have SHITLOADS of information on this and have successfully lost (and KEPT OFF) 150lbs a decade ago. lemme know if you have any specific questions via PM or your thread here.

there are also a lot of members who have had success with weight watchers. it's one of the few programs that i'd suggest because you actually DO get an education with it.

just don't bother trying any potions or infomercial crap. you'll be broke, pissed off and stuck at the same weight.
 
EJFan said:
there's only ONE WAY to lose weight... you have to have a caloric deficit. there's no pill or shake or shot or anything that's really worth a damn.

i like to think of it this way: if you really know what you're eating and what different foods do to you, you can eat appropriately in any situation. if you rely on a shake or whatever, what do you do when there's no shake around? and do you really want to buy shakes and pills and whatnot for the rest of your life?

i have SHITLOADS of information on this and have successfully lost (and KEPT OFF) 150lbs a decade ago. lemme know if you have any specific questions via PM or your thread here.

there are also a lot of members who have had success with weight watchers. it's one of the few programs that i'd suggest because you actually DO get an education with it.

just don't bother trying any potions or infomercial crap. you'll be broke, pissed off and stuck at the same weight.

I totally second weight watchers. My parents have both had a lot of success losing weight and maintaining it. And I'm going on it for the summer to lose 15-20 pounds myself. :)
 
There's no quick fix. Well, there is the Divorce Stress Diet. During my divorce, I lost 50 lbs at a time when I didn't have 50 lbs to lose. Definitely not recommended, unless you want to lose your hair, be cold all the time, and count your ribs.

I lost about 20 lbs early in 2004; it was my New Year's resolution after my last child was born. I did it by eating healthy foods, doing cardio, and lifting weights. I've kinda fallen off the wagon as of late, but I've gotten back on as of late to help me deal with some issues of my own. It can be really difficult to get motivated, but it's worth it.
 
back in 1998, a rather peculiar experience led to my winding up on the atkins diet. over the course of 2 months, i lost approximately 25-30 lbs and got down to around 180 lbs. this is not a diet that is for everyone: eating nothing but protein and avoiding all carbs and starches isn't cheap and it makes eating breakfast hell. for me, maintenace of that weight involved the following steps:

1. ditching any and all sugar from my diet where possible: diet beverages, etc.
2. increased exercise.
3. already being possessed of a high metabolism. i eat an insanely large amount of food on a regular basis, enough to satisfy any 2 normal people.

my results are probably not typical, so please take the foregoing w/ a shaker of salt.

ed
 
Story on behalf of my sister

Alas, I have not lost any significant weight, but I know a story:

My sister used to be a runner in high school and she was pretty lean to start with. Two kids and an unhappy marriage later she gained quite a bit of weight but had no motivation to take it off.
After her divorce, she is feeling better about herself and decided to take care of her body better. After some trial-and-error, she found that weight-lifting in the morning was the best for her. It got her metabolism up first thing, which lasted the rest of the day. Her diet didn't change much; an overall decrease in refined sugars was a good thing, but she didn't deny herself anything. Meat, bread, veggies, fruits, dairy, oils, sugars, junk food, beer---it was all on the list, it was simply "moderation in all things".
But it truly was the weight-lifting that made the difference, it caused the "caloric deficit" that EJFan mentioned. She burned more than she ate. 3-4 times per week. She called it "Exercise for the people with short attention spans," because it doesn't take very long. And she told me that she read magazine hints that are specifically for "women's health" and "women's weights"; it is not a good idea for a female to base a weight-lifting regime on a male-workout, because they are different!
So, I know everyone hates to hear it, but the only one I've seen work (in my family, anyway) is "eat moderately and exercise". (I'm keeping it in mind, myself.)
 
I laughingly say I am on "The Internet Diet." What I mean by that is that I am addicted to the Internet so I rarely will bother to stop and eat. I do keep water near me at all times.

When I do eat, I often deliberately eat something I know will make me feel full, such as watermelon, salad or popcorn without all the butter and all.

Last year, I began walking with my husband every night he is off, and then usually we screw too.

I dance in the car. Yes, that's right in the car. I often exercise with the kids too. In fact, at the beginning of the year I got a personal trainer to show my daughter and I how to do weight training because we both like that and we added in the cardiovascular room too.

I don't deny myself anything I am really craving though. I just eat less of whatever it is than I used to. I have found that it seems like my stomach has shrunk and I can't eat as much as I did once.

Basically, my advice is, eat healthy, eat less, drink lots of water and exercise a little or a lot, whatever you can handle, to get your metabolism up. Recent studies have shown that people who fidget weigh less. So even little things can help. If you have no energy and believe me, I have felt that way in the past, exercise will actually help your energy level go up. Start out small, don't try to do too much at once. When you screw up realize you are only human, forgive yourself and keep trying.

Recently, I went shopping and accidentally brought a size eight into the dressing room along with a size ten and twelve. The blue jeans and shorts fit better in size eight! That was a fun discovery.

Good luck. You can do it, just never give up!
 
The best way i found was to walk around 4 miles 3 times a week and you can eat anything you want but don't pig out on stuff eat in moderation but you can still eat anything.

I walk from my apartment to the town i live by and it is 4 miles away it is down hill most of the way but i would make it and to get home i would take the bus home.

But find an area that is flat and walk it or go to the mall and walk it from on end to the other and back several times.

I lost 40 pounds in 4 and half months it seemed like i was losing 10 pounds a month but becareful if you are going to take pills go to your doctor because some of those natural stuff can mess up your meds. if you take them.

Good luck.
 
Fastest way I ever lost weight, was to get me an over active thyroid....

The pounds just fell off.... mind you, I also had a resting pulse rate of around 130bpm, and was heading for heart failure....

Having said that, I lost something like 28lbs in a month... So I suppose it had its benefits... After 3 years of being treated for it, I've now put back 10lbs... so overall, am 18lbs better off...

Hey ho, theres always a bright side !

:)
 
Eilan said:
There's no quick fix. Well, there is the Divorce Stress Diet. During my divorce, I lost 50 lbs at a time when I didn't have 50 lbs to lose. Definitely not recommended, unless you want to lose your hair, be cold all the time, and count your ribs.

I lost about 20 lbs early in 2004; it was my New Year's resolution after my last child was born. I did it by eating healthy foods, doing cardio, and lifting weights. I've kinda fallen off the wagon as of late, but I've gotten back on as of late to help me deal with some issues of my own. It can be really difficult to get motivated, but it's worth it.


I know exactly what your talking about... I went through a divorce also... only i lost 25 pounds in like 1 month, it felt good but i knew that it was extremely unhealthy.
 
aegis9591 said:
Fastest way I ever lost weight, was to get me an over active thyroid....

The pounds just fell off.... mind you, I also had a resting pulse rate of around 130bpm, and was heading for heart failure....

Having said that, I lost something like 28lbs in a month... So I suppose it had its benefits... After 3 years of being treated for it, I've now put back 10lbs... so overall, am 18lbs better off...

Hey ho, theres always a bright side !

:)


What an over active thyroid???
 
Diet and excerise...not just excerise not just diet. Sure you can eat salad every day and lose weight, but you're also loosing alot of muscle with it which will make you look even flabbier. Eat right, you need carbs, you need protein and you need the right kinds of fat. Theres no quick fix and no magic diet, it takes hard work to get in shape and more work to stay in shape.
 
Thanks ya'll for your reply's...
One of my problems is i eat even though im not hungry, just for taste, ya know? I also have a really bad habit of not eating during the day, i can go all day long without anything but when night time comes i start to eat.
I always crave something sweet right after i eat.
I also have problems going to a gym, i have a possesive boyfriend and he doesnt really like me going anywhere without him. So if i go to a gym i will get the third degree when i get back... I believe goin some where like that would help me...
I use to be alot more active when i was aloud to get out but now im kinda stuck here all the time, so theres really nothing left to do but eat, play on the computer, watch t.v.....
 
muddpuppy said:
One of my problems is i eat even though im not hungry, just for taste, ya know?

i highly recommend eating five or six meals a day. if your diet is well balanced, you won't have those unsubstantiated cravings. one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, healthy fats (olive oil, natty pb, fish oil) for caloric ballast and carbs before and after exercise.

muddpuppy said:
I always crave something sweet right after i eat.

when i crave sweets, i eat fresh fruit... much better than processed sugar (the worst carb ever). over time, i began to prefer the sweetness of fruit over that of sugar.


muddpuppy said:
I also have problems going to a gym, i have a possesive boyfriend and he doesnt really like me going anywhere without him. So if i go to a gym i will get the third degree when i get back... I believe goin some where like that would help me...
I use to be alot more active when i was aloud to get out but now im kinda stuck here all the time, so theres really nothing left to do but eat, play on the computer, watch t.v.....

this is starting to sound like more than a physical health issue, mudd. it's very easy to get some exercise at home (that's where i do it) but it seems to me that maybe you're bringing up a larger issue here. if this isn't a lifestyle you're comfortable leading, i think you need to address it with him and your gut. it'll be difficult to adjust your outward appearance if you're not in the right place inside.
 
The possessive boyfriend issue is something that needs to be dealt with. As EJFan said, this sounds like much more than a physical health issue. What does your boyfriend weigh? Because you'd be a lot better off if you dumped HIS extra weight and started to live YOUR life again.

I apologize for sounding harsh, but my mother has spent the past 32 years of her life in a situation like this, and I see history repeating itself with my brother and his fiancée. So, yeah, I'm a little bitter about this sort of thing. :mad:
 
Etaski said:
she found that weight-lifting in the morning was the best for her. It got her metabolism up first thing, which lasted the rest of the day. Her diet didn't change much; an overall decrease in refined sugars was a good thing, but she didn't deny herself anything. Meat, bread, veggies, fruits, dairy, oils, sugars, junk food, beer---it was all on the list, it was simply "moderation in all things".
But it truly was the weight-lifting that made the difference, it caused the "caloric deficit" that EJFan mentioned. She burned more than she ate.

Yes, you're absolutely right. Lifting will definitely rev up your metabolism, but it's much trickier than you think. Last summer, i started lifting weights 3 times a week. It's something I really enjoyed and wanted to get back into. However, the problem was that it revved up my metabolism TOO much! I absolutely could not stop eating. And because I was under a lot of stress and wasn't eating a proper diet, i gained muscle but never lost any fat....therefore gaining weight! Sure, my arms looked incredible, but my waistline never shrunk.

So, it's never just a one-quick-fix deal. You must have your diet in order BEFORE you start lifting weights to see all-around benefits.

OT: I agree with Eilan. "Possessive" boyfriend is just a euphemism for "abusive" boyfriend. Do you really need a man that bad? If he won't let you got to the gym alone, you've got a big problem, and I don't say that lightly. Please please please don't wait for it to get worse. :rose:
 
i'm a newbie, but here goes...(oh, and i'm not a medically trained person, this is just what worked for me, it may not work for you)

i won't address the boyfriend thing, others have already.

i will say what works for me with weight loss. okay, i believe that weight loss is not just about diet, or exercise. it's about a total life makeover. you need not just the desire to be thinner, but the desire to be healthy, inside and out. weight piles on for so many different reasons (depression, physical ailments, boredom, etc...). the first thing that needs to go is the tendency to take the easy way out. we need to know that this is for the long haul. the rest is all about making lifelong changes that we can stick with.

here is the abridged version of my guidelines (and i've lost about 45 pounds, give or take, over the last year-fairly effortlessly):

go see your doctor and get a full physical
-you need to find out what's going on in your body-do you have any disorders or deficiencies that might get in the way of weight loss, or anything that might have contributed to weight gain in the first place, are you healthy enough to start an exercise program...

work on your emotional issues
-do what you need to do to feel better mentally-psychological issues are weight magnets (i saw a counselor)

get a hobby
find something you love to sink some time into-ever notice how time passes when you're doing something you love? combat boredom and boredom eating

find something to relieve stress
stress is another weight magnet-have a massage, take up yoga, meditate, whatever...just let it all go for a little while, you'll be much less tempted to eat

start doing some sort of daily exercise that you enjoy
walk, run, roller blade, clean house, have active sex (whatever floats your boat)
start small time-wise, say 15 minutes a day, then add 15 minutes every week (or ten, or twenty. just pick a number and stick with it)
just keep moving

keep a food diary
pay attention to when you feel compelled to eat
pay attention to how you feel after different kinds of meals

eat to keep your body content-not ecstatic

and now, here are the food suggestions:
don't eat sugar, no soda, no candy
try not to eat processed foods-if that means you eat two raw meals a day then so be it
eat whole grains-i'm not talking generic wheat bread, i'm talking brown rice, super-grainy breads, quinoa, flax, etc...the higher the fiber the better
try to replace butter with good flavorful olive oil and don't use margarine-it's yucky (at least, i think so)
make your meals veggie oriented-your largest portion should be of veggies, next largest should be protein, next should be carbs (the good whole grain kind, remember)
LEARN HOW TO COOK!!! i can't stress that enough. when you know how to cook the world is your oyster
be adventurous...there are plenty of incredibly delicious foods that are also good for you, make it a project to find something that is both healthful and scrumptious (e.g. paella, stirfried shrimp in pineapple juice, cilantro, garlic and jalapenos with mango salsa, shish kebobs, yummmm)

essentially, i lost weight, and am losing weight, by looking at how my life was broken. i wanted to feel better so i stopped doing most of the things that we do everyday that are bad for ourselves. yes, it's frustrating. but there's a not-so-small amount of satisfaction when you are eating your leftovers and your co-workers are jealous. AND you know that this delectable thing you are consuming is so much better for you and your waist-line then the burger and fries they are eating. it takes work, but if you think of this as a life-long thing, then you know that you can have that brownie, or ice-cream every once in a while, and it doesn't seem so bad. and, even if you don't lose any weight at all, you'll still feel healthier than you did.

phew, how was that for an introduction? hope this helped, if you have any questions, feel free to pm me.
 
muddpuppy said:
Thanks ya'll for your reply's...

One of my problems is I eat even though I'm not hungry, just for taste, ya know?

I also have a really bad habit of not eating during the day; I can go all day long without anything but when nighttime comes I start to eat.

I always crave something sweet right after I eat.

I also have problems going to a gym, I have a possessive boyfriend and he doesn’t really like me going anywhere without him. So if I go to a gym I will get the third degree when I get back... I believe going some where like that would help me...

I use to be a lot more active when I was allowed to get out, but now I’m kind of stuck here all the time, so there’s really nothing left to do but eat, play on the computer, watch TV...

As everyone else has said you need to become calorie deficient, so you will start to loose some weight. The other thing I would remind you of is to start gently so as not to give yourself other health troubles.

If you can find a time to take your boyfriend to the gym with you then take him, if you can’t then go with his sister or his mom if you can, to take the sting out of his possessiveness.

Drink plenty of water.

The other important thing I would look at would be to increase the number of meals a day or at least to snack an healthy stuff enough to keep you feeling full, carrots, celery, some coleslaw (light on the dressing though), apples, start the day with a bowl f Quaker Oats (steel cut) gives you a good start to the day. I make my own Oat cereal, with dried fruit (cranberries, raisons, sauternes, apples etc), l if you eat enough of this kind of “filling” food and a sensible meal in the evening, you will start to loose some weight once you begin exorcising regularly.

You don’t need to do much to start of with, once around the block twice a day is a good start, you can take it further after a couple of weeks.

After you eat, try some fruit or yoghurt as your dessert and see if you can do without the extra sweet things.
 
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yes of course diet and excersize would be the right things to do, however if you're lazy and self indulgent like myself you can take two garlic tablets and two papaya enzymes before every meal. also the only work out i do is bellydance, it's fun and since it uses all of your abdomial muscles it also massages your digestive track which can speed up your matabolism
 
As FurryFury said...
Basically, my advice is, eat healthy, eat less, drink lots of water and exercise a little or a lot, whatever you can handle, to get your metabolism up.

-----------------------------------------------------
These are the keys. Do not starve yourself.

In the last two years, I have lost 120 pounds. My main focus was to stop eating the major CARBS like potatos chips, fries, bread, and pasta. No more sugars from candy and cakes and cookies.

I will once in a while have pasta, or potatos, or a sweet, but they are not allowed on a daily basis.

I took me 30 years of being FAT to find this system that works for ME. And that is the trick, finding something that works for you. If you have natual metabolism, then a reduction in Calories and a little excersise will go a long way. If your are metabolicaly challanged (that's me), then you my want to to reduce your carbs in your diet. Check out Atkins, or South Beach diets Whatever you do, it has to be for life. So it is not a diet, it will be a way of eating for life.
 
Oddly enough there was something on Oprah yesterday about this. I'm not a regular Oprah watcher, but I stopped on this show because of some of the people.

Anyways, one of the things that was mentioned is that if you are overweight, you stay that way for a reason. It's probably something you havent ever really thought could be a reason, but there is one. The one girl on the show stayed overweight because she was desperate for her father's attention (he constantly attacked her in some way or another for being heavy) and deep down she didnt want to lose the attention she was getting.

Another thing that was mentioned is that when you want to lose weight, it should become a statement of "I am going to lose weight" as opposed to "I want to lose weight." I found that this one really is true within my own endeavors with weight loss. No matter how much you want it, it won't happen unless you are determined to do it and have that state of mind.

As others have already suggested here, the Weight Watcher's Program works really well. My mom lost over 60 pounds on it in a year. She worked really hard and took the time to learn the stuff and to apply it to her life. She's kept it off rather well since meeting her goal weight a few months ago. This is one of the few fad diets that my doctor has actually recommended. He does this because of some of his other patients that have done it (including my mom) and that they do teach you about how to live more healthy as opposed to just losing weight.
 
Patchouli said:
i'm a newbie, but here goes...(oh, and i'm not a medically trained person, this is just what worked for me, it may not work for you)

i won't address the boyfriend thing, others have already.

i will say what works for me with weight loss. okay, i believe that weight loss is not just about diet, or exercise. it's about a total life makeover. you need not just the desire to be thinner, but the desire to be healthy, inside and out. weight piles on for so many different reasons (depression, physical ailments, boredom, etc...). the first thing that needs to go is the tendency to take the easy way out. we need to know that this is for the long haul. the rest is all about making lifelong changes that we can stick with.

here is the abridged version of my guidelines (and i've lost about 45 pounds, give or take, over the last year-fairly effortlessly):

go see your doctor and get a full physical
-you need to find out what's going on in your body-do you have any disorders or deficiencies that might get in the way of weight loss, or anything that might have contributed to weight gain in the first place, are you healthy enough to start an exercise program...

work on your emotional issues
-do what you need to do to feel better mentally-psychological issues are weight magnets (i saw a counselor)

get a hobby
find something you love to sink some time into-ever notice how time passes when you're doing something you love? combat boredom and boredom eating

find something to relieve stress
stress is another weight magnet-have a massage, take up yoga, meditate, whatever...just let it all go for a little while, you'll be much less tempted to eat

start doing some sort of daily exercise that you enjoy
walk, run, roller blade, clean house, have active sex (whatever floats your boat)
start small time-wise, say 15 minutes a day, then add 15 minutes every week (or ten, or twenty. just pick a number and stick with it)
just keep moving

keep a food diary
pay attention to when you feel compelled to eat
pay attention to how you feel after different kinds of meals

eat to keep your body content-not ecstatic

and now, here are the food suggestions:
don't eat sugar, no soda, no candy
try not to eat processed foods-if that means you eat two raw meals a day then so be it
eat whole grains-i'm not talking generic wheat bread, i'm talking brown rice, super-grainy breads, quinoa, flax, etc...the higher the fiber the better
try to replace butter with good flavorful olive oil and don't use margarine-it's yucky (at least, i think so)
make your meals veggie oriented-your largest portion should be of veggies, next largest should be protein, next should be carbs (the good whole grain kind, remember)
LEARN HOW TO COOK!!! i can't stress that enough. when you know how to cook the world is your oyster
be adventurous...there are plenty of incredibly delicious foods that are also good for you, make it a project to find something that is both healthful and scrumptious (e.g. paella, stirfried shrimp in pineapple juice, cilantro, garlic and jalapenos with mango salsa, shish kebobs, yummmm)

essentially, i lost weight, and am losing weight, by looking at how my life was broken. i wanted to feel better so i stopped doing most of the things that we do everyday that are bad for ourselves. yes, it's frustrating. but there's a not-so-small amount of satisfaction when you are eating your leftovers and your co-workers are jealous. AND you know that this delectable thing you are consuming is so much better for you and your waist-line then the burger and fries they are eating. it takes work, but if you think of this as a life-long thing, then you know that you can have that brownie, or ice-cream every once in a while, and it doesn't seem so bad. and, even if you don't lose any weight at all, you'll still feel healthier than you did.

phew, how was that for an introduction? hope this helped, if you have any questions, feel free to pm me.

THIS IS EXACTLY CORRECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
muddpuppy said:
I know exactly what your talking about... I went through a divorce also... only i lost 25 pounds in like 1 month, it felt good but i knew that it was extremely unhealthy.
Definitely unhealthy. My divorce was almost five years ago, and that's when I discovered that I deal with extreme stress by not eating. When my first marriage collapsed I threw myself into caring for my kids and I neglected my own needs. I went from 159 lbs (two months after giving birth) to 109 lbs eight months later (I'm 5'6"). Even then, I could find little things wrong with my body, though, in hindsight, when I look at pictures of myself during that time, I didn't look healthy. My hair was falling out, I could count my ribs, and I was always cold. My friends and family were very worried about me.

ultra99 said:
Do not starve yourself.
That's right. Lots of people think that not eating, or severely restricting their caloric intake, will make them lose weight. While that may be true, to an extent, at some point the body realizes that it's not getting enough calories and goes into "famine mode." Your metabolism actually slows down to hold on to what little food your body gets.

Women are genetically preprogrammed to hold on to a bit of body fat anyway, for childbearing purposes. If a woman's body fat levels dip below a certain percentage, her menstrual cycles cease.
 
muddpuppy said:
What an over active thyroid???


Actually, it came as a surprise to me too... The thyroid is a little gland at the base of your throat which controls the release of specific hormones into the body. Apparently its all controlled by the pituitary gland etc and there are all sorts of geeky medical terms that fall in with it...

Basically, if the thyroid goes hyper or overactive, it releases too much of the hormone that controls your metabolism.. Hence the weight loss, increased pulse rate, shakes, irritability and all sorts of other stuff...

Going the other way, if it doesnt release enough of the same hormone, its slow pulse, weight gain, and another bunch of good stuff...

In my case, the thyroid went totally berserk, and no end of treatment with medication worked, so I ended up having radiation therapy to nuke part of it... Alas, they nuked too much and I now have an under active thyroid, but thats easier to control with medication. I'll be taking big doses of Thyroxine every day for the rest of my life... Good job I get it for free in the UK, and its pretty cheap in the USA when I move over there...

Hope that answers your Q, I dont know all the medical junk and I've tried to explain it as I understand it...
 
Tons of great suggestions. I'm just going to add my 2 cents worth. I lost about 15 pounds 6 months ago, and frankly I didn't make any MAJOR life changes. I'd always been active, swam competitively for 16 years, if anything I became less active when I graduated from college. The only major thing I did do was to totally cut snacking out of my daily eating habits. I stopped looking, thinking, dreaming about my next junk food fix. I don't even go down the chip or cookie aisle at the grocery store anymore. I also continued to exercise at least three times a week for 45 minutes if possible. If not, I just tried to do a little more walking, park further at Target or take the stairs rather than the elevator, that kind of thing. I found that once I stopped eating all the bad junky food, I could stop watching so closely what I had for my meals and therefore eating in general became less stressful and more enjoyable.
 
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